Data from the clinical charts of 44 diabetic patients with oculomotor palsy were studied. The sixth cranial nerve was involved in 55 p. 100 of cases, the third in 39 p. 100 and the fourth in 6 p. 100 of cases. Forty three patients had type II diabetes mellitus; in 19 the oculomotor palsy revealed diabetes, while in 25 patients diabetes mellitus had been diagnosed for 9.5 +/- 6.2 years. The oculomotor palsy resolved within an average of 93 days on average (range 156-39 days). Twenty eight patients had arterial hypertension and 23 ischemic cardiopathy of peripheral arteriopathy. There appeared to be no correlation between oculomotor palsy and the quality of glycemia control, renal function, the presence of diabetic retinopathy, or other diabetic neurological complications.